Around the NBA: Moon is about more than just offense

Jamario Moon’s ‘D’ is earning him minutes, while his dunks and 3-pointers put him in highlights.

Chris Beaven

Soaring high to slam down an alley-oop pass and drilling 3-pointers get Jamario Moon in highlight packages.

But that’s not what gets Moon minutes with the Cavs or earns him praise from his coach. He does that on the defensive end, doing the things that don’t show up in highlights.

“The thing I like about Jamario is, defensively, he’s starting to be a physical presence,” Cavs Head Coach Mike Brown said.

A wiry 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward, Moon can defend a variety of wings. Brown likes how Moon plays position defense and uses his length to contest shots.

“When he does things like that, it’s going to get him minutes on the floor,” Brown said.

That doesn’t mean the coach ignores Moon’s other ways of impacting a game.

“He’s a lot better shooter than what I thought coming in,” Brown said.

Brown, though, wants to see Moon do more than just finish alley-oops and stroke open 3s. He also wants Moon to put the ball on the floor and get to the hole.

“(Take) one, two, three dribbles and dunk, and get fouled,” Brown said.

Moon said making an impact on the Cavs off the bench is “all about being ready” to make the most of whatever minutes he gets. He has had no trouble fitting in.

“With the guys we got, you can’t help but be comfortable,” Moon said.

NO SURPRISE

Cavs star LeBron James said he’s not surprised by Atlanta’s strong start.

“They’ve got a really good team ... a very young and experienced team,” he said.

James later added, “I think they’ve underachieved honestly the last few years.

“They got some real, real talented players. It’s a really good team, and I think it’s paying dividends now that they’re really buying into what’s going on down there.”

NOT AFRAID TO TALK

James said this week he is not growing wary of the media, despite the constant attention he receives.

“I know who I am,” James said. “I respect what you guys do. I respect what I do. At the end of the end of the day, I have to protect myself, my family, my teammates.”

He remains one of the most accessible players in the league and is one of the few NBA stars who routinely talks before games. And he hasn’t been afraid to offer up opinions when asked questions on any number of subjects, such as if he thought he could play in the NFL.

“I’ve never been wary about what I say or how the media can turn it upside down,” James said. “... It happens, but I’m OK with it.”

GOOD D?

Denver’s Carmelo Anthony dropped a career-high 50 points on the Knicks in a 128-125 win by the Nuggets on Friday. He hit 17-of-28 shots, and got to the line 16 times, making 15. New York’s Al Harrington, who scored 41 off the bench, said it could’ve been worse.

“When you play against a guy that’s going like that, there’s nothing you can really do,” Harrington told media after the game. “I think our guys did a pretty good job because if they didn’t, he would have had 70.”

24-SECOND CLOCK

• Phoenix, which comes to Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday, has won five of its last six after blasting the Timberwolves, 120-95, Friday. The Suns also have won five of their last seven road games, highlighted by a win at Boston. They visit Toronto today and New York on Tuesday before coming to Cleveland. The Wolves, by the way, are off to a franchise-worst 1-15 start. Their 15 straight losses is one shy of the club record, a mark they will try to avoid tonight at Denver.

• Golden State delivered one of the season’s most unusual wins last week, winning 111-103 at Dallas despite having just six healthy players and not having Head Coach Don Nelson (back home with pneumonia). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Warriors became the first team to win a game using just six players since Feb. 10, 1952, when the Baltimore Bullets did it against the Fort Wayne Pistons. Anthony Morrow, Monta Ellis and Vladimir Radmanovic each played all 48 minutes for the Warriors. Ellis delivered quite a stat line in that game — 37 points, 15-of-29 shooting, 11 turnovers, eight assists, four steals and four rebounds. Ellis came back with 42 points in 44 minutes the next night in San Antonio, as the Warriors were able to use nine players. The Spurs won, though, 118-104.